Our Tutors
A Little About Me...
I am a year 11 high school student, currently enrolled in both the ATAR mathematics Methods and Specialist courses. I have always had a passion for mathematics, from basic arithmetic and ‘ninja maths’ in primary school to number theory and euclidean geometer. I believe maths is not about memorising confusing equations or understanding pages of obscure diagrams. It is a way of exploring the unknown, of proving the counter intuitive and most importantly maths is about being curious. This subject often gets a bad rap for being boring and quite pointless, the common question being all too often: “Okay, but when are we ever going to use …. in real life.” But by working through these monotonous moments and moving beyond what you think might be useful later in life maths can actually become quite enjoyable, believe it or not, and though it might not be so obvious at first even those geometry lessons come in handy eventually.
How I Tutor
As a tutor I engage my students by making maths fun, using a variety of games and by showing how the work they’re currently doing relates to ‘real world’ concepts. I use questions to guide the session’s learning by asking my students to teach me what they already know, to identify weaknesses and strengths. I make frequent use of puzzles and logic problems to introduce new topics and to get students curious about maths in a new way. Getting to know my students and their life outside maths lets me connect with them in different ways and explain concepts with relevant analogies, this means I’ll often use the first session just to get them comfortable with their new tutor.
My Experience
I have had a comprehensive experience of mathematics during my time at school, I participated in a year 9 and 10 extension maths course, and last year was selected for the top streamed class where I accomplished an average of 85%. This year I was encouraged to enrol in the highest maths course available in WA, Specialist, where I am studying topics in functions and calculus learning matrices, vectors, complex numbers and geometric proofs; if you want to see some of my work click here. Methods is my second maths course and is a base for Specialist that focuses on calculus and statistical analysis and is more grounded in real word applications. In Methods I am currently on 82.5% and in Specialist I am on 81% (with scaling). I have participated twice in the Australian maths competition, receiving a credit and a distinction and I’ve just enrolled again this year, so wish me luck! I received the DUX award for my year in 2022, 2021 and 2020, but I’m not just a maths guy. I also love the outdoors, whether that means going for an evening run or an early morning swim it doesn’t take much to get me to take a maths break! I am quite new to tutoring but I have good experience as a student leader and public speaker, I’ve helped out at a few after-school homework sessions and I’ve got 2 younger brothers so I have a lot of experience in working with kids
I hope that gets you a little more familiar with who I am and what I do as a tutor, if you’re interested in hiring me check out my bookings page!
A Little About Me...
Hey, my name is Andrew. I am currently a year 11 student and am taking 5 ATARs: math methods, math specialist, chemistry, physics, and English. I have always been a big fan of problem solving, which is probably why I enjoy math so much. I believe that maths should not be something feared or hated, but rather explored. You don’t have to like everything in maths (I don’t particularly enjoy finance) and that’s ok, but I would still encourage anyone to give it a go. Maths is much broader than most think, and there are a multitude of applications. Just because you haven’t found a subtopic in math you enjoy, doesn’t mean you never will. I have seen peers who absolutely despise maths learn how to solve a particularly hard problem, and let me tell you, their face just lights up. I hope that everyone can experience that feeling.
How I Tutor
When I am tutoring, I like to encourage my student to tell me what he knows and what he is struggling with, allowing me to skip over explaining things he/she knows already. I find that most of the time, the student will come to the answer by himself/herself, I focus on helping facilitate this process, helping when needed, and explaining new concepts (in other words I will refrain from just telling the student the answer, instead helping him/her get there themselves). I believe that this helps strengthen their ability to solve problems by themselves, as in a test they won’t have someone to help them. To be honest my grades started to rise when I gained confidence in class and started asking questions, I hope to encourage any student that I am tutoring to ask questions and hopefully gain a curiosity towards maths. I also believe that the tutoring strategy should be adapted depending on the student. I hope to connect to the students I am tutoring, hopefully allowing me to tutor them to the best of my ability. I will also use the first lesson to get to know who I’m tutoring, and to help them become more comfortable with me. It will also be beneficial if I could be provided with some of their most resent tests, so I can better adapt my tutoring sessions to be more focused on what they are struggling with.
My Experience
I have always taken the highest math class available throughout my high school journey, performing well in all of them. Currently I am taking math methods and math specialist, the 2 hardest math courses high school has to offer. For methods I am currently scoring a 96.4% with scaling and for specialist I am currently scoring an 86.5% with scaling. I have also competed in Australian maths competitions, getting a credit and a distinction, and most recently scoring not only the best in my year 11 class but also the year 12 class. I don’t only enjoy maths though; I also love reading and playing board games. Not only that but I have signed up for a triathlon next year, wish me luck! I have not officially done tutoring before, but I have always helped my friends and family with maths. I have, however, volunteered to help kids learn how to play chess. I hope that gets you a little more familiar with who I am and what I do as a tutor, if you’re interested in hiring me check out my bookings page!